Misadventures 3: The Road to Armageddon
by Fusion-Corsair
Summary: Loose ends are tied together. Romances flourish and bridges burn. Death runs even in the most sterile of sanctums as the blood of royals pours forth. This is the end of the Misadventures saga. Rated T for teen as of right now, but likely will change to M soon.
1. Princess in Peril

_**This final Misadventures story will not, I can promise you, be the last of them. What it will, be, however, is the last of this particular trilogy of stories that I've been intending to work on. With my new partner in crime and co-writer for quite a few parts of this story, an excellent writer with several highly-praised fanfics under her belt, such as the sadly abandoned "Daughter of a Monster" and her current project, "Womanizer", this fanfiction will be the best Misadventures of them all! I of course am talking about the one and only ElfDavis, probably the only one as explosively ecstatic about this fanfic as I am!**_

_**Anyways, let's get on with it... Here it is, ladies and gentlemen: Misadventures 3!**_

* * *

**DUNGEON, IMPERIAL PALACE, OUTWORLD**

**SAPPHIRE'S POV**

I was trapped... Ever since Nitya and Lamia had brought me to this place, the Outerworld, I had been forced to suffer in a dungeon cell, a shackle around my leg chaining me to the wall and making escape impossible. My only constant company was the skeleton of another prisoner, left to rot here who knows how long ago.

I was scared, and yet... fascinated. When I was younger, I had heard the stories of ancient Eastern mythology. Stories of gods and demons, the Land of the Dragon King... Some mythology was based on fact, as my bodyguard Glace had shown, but I never knew that so much of it was apparently factual.

Down the hall, the clatter of a bronzed door reeked through the hallway. Someone was coming... Struggling, I stood up, leaning on the stone wall behind me for support as the footsteps grew close.

The visitor was a man, with skin paled to such a deep level that it seemed he was a walking corpse. His body carried red markings, seared into his flesh by some sort of magic or sorcery. I could feel the evil coming off of him... With him were three women, all with black or white facial markings and a particular symbol on their clothes. I recognized it as a symbol of spectres, used by Oriental cults to symbolize the sale of their soul to demons and other evil beings.

"Ah, Sapphire. Just the beauty I was looking for!"

The man gave an evil smile as the women stopped, watching him move towards my cell. I buried my head between my knees, not wanting anything to do with this evil being.

"Do not be sad, dear lovely..." He began to fiddle with the lock on my cell, chuckling at my fearful responses. "Please, do not fear me. I am breaking you out of this wretched prison..."

Freedom given to me by a demon? I immediately knew something was wrong. "I... will have to see about that. I know from the stories to not trust Oni."

"They are mere stories, dearest. You must trust me if you wish to leave this Outworld jail."

While I truthfully had no desire to accept this demon's help, I knew that ultimately, if I did not, I would be trapped in this cell for the rest of my life. "Very well then. Please continue."

The demon smiled again. "You must come with me. Sho Dai is planning to execute you."

"Sho Dai?" I had never heard of such a person.

"Sho Dai is the ruler of Outworld, the Emperor, and a powerful sorcerer. He will likely make you nothing more than a part of his personal harem."

I sighed before looking back at the chain which held me to the wall. "Can you free me from these rusted shackles?"

He nodded before mumbling an ancient incantation, one which made the chain so brittle that it easily shattered when I pulled on it. "Thank you... Despite your being an Oni, you did free me from the confines of this cramped cell. Now, what is it you wish as payment for your service? Demons do not do this unless they have something they wish to gain."

The demon sheered before raising an eyebrow. "What is it you think I would want from a Princess of Japan? Money?"

"Well then, what do you want?"

He smirked before forcing me against the wall.

"You..."

**SCORPION'S POV**

I had stayed with Quan Chi, stealthily following him in case he was incapacitated by any guards, but now I knew why he had taken the demon sisters with him as a precaution. The Oni was attempting to force himself on a dusty, worn, and malnourished maiden. I could tell she was royalty of some sort, judging from the tattered dress she wore, as well as the earrings and necklace she had on. Slinking closer, I waited for the moment to strike...

"SOMEONE! ANYONE! HELP ME!"

My master smirked. "There is no one to help you, dear lovely..."

"You sick, perverted demon... I would rather be a slave of Sho Dai for all eternity than be taken by you!"

With a sadistic grin on his face, Quan Chi held the young woman to the wall with his left hand while attempting to undo the buttoning on his pants with his other. "Luckily, you will have the pleasure of being both."

It was then that I chose to make my move. Teleporting in view of the three assassins, I speared through Jataaka's back, wrapping my kunai's chain around her neck before pulling and breaking it. With her body still in my grasp, I twirled it around and watched Ashrah be "roundhouse-kicked" by the dead Jataaka's foot, knocking her unconscious as the dark-skinned demon's corpse landed on top of her fair-skinned counterpart. Kia attempted to put up a fight, but I tore my mask off and blew the fires of hell on her, reducing her remains to grey dust. With his henchwomen dealt with, I turned to Quan Chi, who still was attempting to molest the woman.

"Get your hands off of her, demon!"

Before he could turn around, I sent my kunai flying forward, impaling my master in the back as I pulled him towards me before teleporting in front of him and uppercutting his chin so hard that he flew up and was slammed into the stone ceiling before falling to the ground, unconscious. Turning to the now-fainted woman, I helped her up as her eyes began to flutter, her mind reawakening.

"Are you alright?"

She rubbed her head a bit, her eyes half-open as she nodded. "Yes, I am..." Her eyes suddenly grew wide as they studied me, traveling from head to toe. "Your attire... I know it from the archives. You are a Shirai Ryu, from Japan's legendary clan of assassins."

This girl seemed to be different... Her features identified her as from the Orient, but only a true historian would be able to identify my attire as that of the Shirai Ryu. "Who are you?"

"I am Sapphire, daughter of the Divine Emperor and princess of Japan."

At that, my mouth opened wide in shock underneath my mask as I quickly bowed before her. "Forgive me, Princess Sapphire... I did not recognize you so immediately. I am Scorpion, last survivor of the Shirai Ryu, brought back to life by my thirst for vengeance against the murderer of my clan!"

The princess's eyes widened. "I have heard of your skills in battle... But were you not killed by your Chinese counterpart Sub-Zero?"

Shamefully, I nodded. "He died at my hands, now known as the wraith Noob Saibot. He serves the sorcerer, Quan Chi." I motioned to my unconscious master, beginning to stir from his wounds. "I must take you back to the Imperial Palace, Princess."

Sapphire nodded as I gently grabbed her wrist, the two of us teleporting in a swirl of hellfire to her bedroom. With that, I bowed once again and prepared to turn away.

"Hanzo... Please do not leave me here! Outworlders could attempt to kidnap me again!"

I turned back to face her, my ethereally white eyes on display for her to see. "I must return to the Netherrealm. For my sake, I hope we meet again, under better circumstances."

With that, I left Sapphire to her own business, returning to the Netherrealm for Quan Chi's inevitably frustrated remarks...

**QUAN CHI'S POV**

It was only inevitable that Scorpion should betray me. Truthfully, for one to not realize that he held no loyalty to me would mean that they were very clearly incompetent. I would decide the repercussions for his action. Rubbing the slit where his kunai had pierced my back, already healing itself, I waited for his inevitable return.

The flames of hellfire opened as Scorpion dropped down onto the lava-cracked surface of the Netherrealm. He stared at me, eyes blazing as he wrapped the kunai's chain around his wrist once again.

"Scorpion! It is your fault that I failed to take the princess as my own!"

This seemed to make the revenant even more angry. "Have you no honor, demon? She was a princess!"

"I could care less! That she was a princess would have made the accomplishment more fulfilling!"

Scorpion dashed towards me, clearly intent on assailing me once again when a blueish portal opened and a black hand grabbed him, pulling him to the ground. The rest of Noob Saibot exited the portal and restrained the specter, restraining his head as I looked into Scorpion's soulless white eyes.

"Leave, and never come back. Otherwise I will hunt you down and torture you until your last breath, specter!"

With that, I struck my former pawn across the face with a backhand, Noob letting go of him as he teleported away. I cared nothing about him and his whereabouts now... All that was important to me was supporting the Forces of Darkness as they continued to swell.

"He will be back."

"I know, Noob. Truthfully, I expect it. When he returns, he shall suffer a permanent death, just like his wife and son."

The wraith bowed to me. "I must return to my duties. My wife and daughter likely require my presence. You most likely know that I cannot refuse her, lest she try to kill me."

"Very well... Return to your place of residence. Continue to treat my daughter well, and I shall tolerate your... creativity. Harm her, however, and I will show you no mercy."

Noob nodded as he went through another portal, returning to his home. Earthrealm would be ours so soon. So soon...


	2. Nightmare by Exposure

**SAPPHIRE'S POV**

I was reading a book on the Shirai Ryu, Japan's long-dead clan of ninjutsu and assassins when he returned. In a swirl of hellfire, the warrior once known as Hanzo Hasashi reappeared in front of me. I smiled cordially and shut the book, standing to welcome again one of Japan's legendary assassins.

"Scorpion!"

Even though he wore a mask, I could tell he was somewhat downtrodden... Was it the book I had been reading? Seemingly ignoring it, he responded with a soulless plea.

"I am sorry to bother you, Princess, and I apologize deeply for leaving you alone here, but I must ask a favor of you..."

I nodded in reply. "What do you require? I shall have it done for you."

"I need a place to stay. Quan Chi has banished me from the Netherrealm because of my duty to you. You required a bodyguard, and I need a place to stay."

Inside, I was bursting with joy and happiness at having a noted historical figure as my bodyguard, and my smile somewhat betrayed my feelings to the specter. "I would be honored to have one of the greatest warriors in Japan's history living with me and being my bodyguard."

He seemed someone stunned, his piety showing as he once again bowed before me, standing up after several seconds. "Thank you, Princess. I am forever indebted to you."

A mental checklist began forming in my mind as I considered what Hanzo would need, now that he was serving the Imperial family once again. "Is there anything I need to know about you before we begin preparation of your quarters?"

"No. Except perhaps that I do not sleep."

Being undead had at least one apparent perk: you never required rest. With that checked off, my mind immediately moved towards the next part of my agenda...

"I believe that I may have something useful for you, should you choose to accept it." A light bulb went off in my head as I remembered what I had seen in the shrine.

"Very well..."

I dashed down a hallway, the tip of my shoe's high heel intentionally running along the stone ground. After several steps, it snagged, the worn and damaged leather holding my foot in it tearing away as I stumbled forward. Walking back to my broken shoe, I pulled on it, tugging on a hidden lever and activating a trap door that opened a hidden passageway in the wall. Grabbing a nearby torch, I proceeded down the stone staircase with caution...

Reaching the bottom, I could feel the room open up. With my torch, I lit a stream of oil that ran around the room in a stone canal, fire beginning to travel around the ring. As it began to glow throughout the room, the treasures within became visible: ancient clothes, armor, and weapons from ages past, belonging to many a notable figure in the history of Japan. Katanas from Masamune, armors of the first shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu... All were there.

Stepping further into the warrior's shrine, I carefully approached a set of clothing located in the middle of the room, very close to the author. It was something that I knew Hanzo would appreciate very much: his attire worn while he lived. The yellow and black fabric had withstood the test of time exceptionally well, the kunai and its chain draped loosely over the shoulders of the iron figure that kept the outfit fitted in its original shape. The sword, Mugai Ryu, lay on the floor, at the feet of the figure.

Careful to not destroy the ancient threads, I removed the attire and its weapons from the archaic mannequin, draping them over my left arm as I returned to Hanzo, shutting the door behind me. "I believe this belongs to you."

Had I not known better, I would have assumed that he was showing a hint of surprise as he watched me drape his attire over my bed. "Where did you get that?"

"It was located in the Hall of Venerated Warriors, a hidden shrine where the weapons and armor of Japan's greatest warriors are located. Only those who live in the Imperial Palace may access it or grant access to people. You, Hanzo, are considered one of Japan's finest assassins. Why would your attire not be enshrined there?"

The revenant of a Shirai Ryu seemed in awe of how important he had been considered as a warrior. "I do not know what to say. It is quite an honor."

I motioned for him to take possession of his former garments. "You are serving the Imperial family once again. Please, put on your original attire."

Scorpion seemed rather reluctant to do so... "I cannot, not while you are here."

"And why is that, Hanzo?"

"I do not wish for you to see what is underneath my mask. Only my enemies deserve to see it - in the seconds before their death."

"I wish to see your face, Hanzo... From what these books illustrate, you are quite handsome. Are you merely shy?"

He sighed. "No, Princess. My head is nothing more than a flaming skull now. This is merely a facade to make me look... normal to the populace."

I crossed my arms at his obstinance. "Show me your true face and I will leave so you may dress in your new attire. I swear on Amaterasu's name that I will not be afraid."

Essentially cornered, Hanzo had no choice. "Very well..."

Slowly moving his hand to his mask, Scorpion's reflexes quickly activated and he pulled his mask off, revealing nothing more to his true head than a burning skull. As I had promised though, I showed no fear.

"How... intriguing. I have never seen a revenant in person before."

The fire on Hanzo's skull seemed to intensify above his eyebrows, as if he were expressing his impressedness. "You are very brave to ask to see a revenant's true face, much less ask him to be your bodyguard."

I smiled. "Perhaps tossing you into the Imperial hot springs would cool you down a bit..."

**SCORPION'S POV**

"Excuse me?"

She gave a very flirty voice. "You heard me..."

"I do not wish to get wet. As someone who controls hellfire, I am very annoyed by water."

She continued to use that voice... "Well why not? You haven't had a bath in the hot springs in years. It is your temperature after all..."

I resisted as firmly as I could.

"No."

She crossed her arms, a sudden change of attitude. "You are my bodyguard, Hanzo... You will listen to what I say."

With no reason to continue restraining myself, I relented. "Very well, but I shall not bathe with you. You may bathe first, or I will. Your decision."

The princess nodded. "I will bathe first." Kicking off her remaining shoe, she walked down the hallway to an onsen, a natural hot spring used for bathing. I stayed in the hallway as she disrobed and entered the water.

After several minutes, I heard her call for me. "Hanzo, would you go to my room and get me a new pair of undergarments, as well as a dark blue dress? They are in my closet... Please bring them here and put them on the rung next to the one my dirty clothes are on."

I did as she asked, taking a matching pair of light blue lingerie and a relaxed-cut dress from her closet before stepping into the onsen's changing room. Placing the clean clothes on the rung next to the tattered remains of her previous attire, I could not help but glimpse at her as I turned back around. Something about her seemed... familiar.

With my acute vision, I noticed a blotchy birthmark on her neck, one roughly shaped like a star. It saddened me... My wife had a birthmark exactly like that. I swiftly turned and began to exit the room before she could notice my reaction, but it was too late.

"Hanzo? What is it? For a moment there, you appeared to have seen... a ghost."

"I turned back to her, attempting to ignore her lack of clothing as I gave her an answer. "Yes. I am fine, Princess. I was merely... reminded of something from long ago."

As I exited the room, I heard the splash of the water as she got out, then heard her wet footsteps follow me down the hall. "Hanzo! What were you reminded of? Someone?"

I growled at her. "It is none of your business. I would prefer for you to call me Scorpion. I am Hanzo Hasashi no longer."

"Please, Hanzo... Tell me! What do I remind you of?"

"Please stop it, Princess! I refuse to tell you no matter how many times you ask. AND DO NOT CALL ME HANZO!"

I began to walk away from her faster as she began to fade away, but not before her words haunted me.

"Do I remind you of your wife?"

That was it. I immediately teleported away from the palace, desperate to get time to myself without the inquisitive Princess asking around.

* * *

When I returned to the palace, I immediately saw Sapphire asleep in a comfy chair, a book half-open in her hands. The poor girl had tired herself out, obviously reading all night. As I stepped closer, I heard her begin to mumble to herself, steeped in a deep dream...

**SAPPHIRE'S POV**

_"No! Do not harm my son!" I yelled at the warriors restraining me. Both wore masks, their attire entirely grey._

_The door burst open, and with it came the chilling wind, carrying the sound of a dozen screams. Another warrior stood there... he wore blue, symbolizing his elevation above the other warriors. As I watched, he pulled the blade out of his sheath and..._

"NOOOOOO!" I screamed, bolting up as the book I was reading fell to the floor. I began to pace back and forth. "Kana Akihito, why are you having sudden dreams like this?"

Scorpion froze as he heard my name. "Kana?"

"Yes."

"My wife was named Kana."

I paused for a moment. "Did she live in a village with the Shirai Ryu?"

"Yes."

"Did you have a son named Jubei?"

He gave a gasp. "Yes..."

My jaw dropped... I understood it now. "I had a dream of your wife's death... Restrained by Lin Kuei, forced to watch as the chilling death covered the village with screams of agony, and then... there was darkness."

He gave a microscopic nod, barely noticeable to the average person. "I am beginning to have a suspicion, but... I will need to take us somewhere to verify it. I know someone who may be able to determine if your soul is that of my wife, reincarnated."

"I see... And who is that?"

"Her name is Genesis..."


	3. Hellish Reunion

**THE NETHERREALM**

**SAPPHIRE'S POV**

The smoldering heat of the hellish realm began to bronze my skin as the two of us hurredly walked through the domain that Hanzo had been reborn into.

"Hanzo, where are we?"

He turned around, giving me a solemn look. "This is my home. This is the Netherrealm."

"Hell?"

"Essentially. The Netherrealm mostly corresponds to Judeo-Christian tradition: there are multiple levels of hell, the evil being divided according to their crimes. This is where we shall find Genesis."

I raised an eyebrow. he still had not explained who this 'Genesis' was. "Who is she?"

He turned back around, continuing to walk through the realm. "She is someone who will help us find out if you truly are the reincarnation of my wife. I refuse to say anything more about her aside from that."

I merely stayed silent, continuing to walk with Scorpion when we both heard a sinister growl coming from behind a rock. Before we could tell what it was, the being had jumped out, exposing itself to us...

Standing at well over six and a half feet tall, the creature was absolutely horrifying, with a hideous conjugation of facial features... It had the snout of a wild dog, the yellow eyes of a black cat, the scaly and fragmented complexion of a reptile, and the facial profile of a hideous beast, replete with a jaw that reminded me of a particular species of deep-sea fish, needle-like teeth and all. Its scaly, charcoal black flesh was cracked and torn, a magma-like liquid oozing and glowing from the deeply-gouged crevices in its carapace. Its arms appeared to glisten as though they were wet - or covered with some other sort of hellish fluid. Small tufts of hair grew where hair would ordinarily grow, though the hair was a mix of deathly white and sickly yellow. Saliva dripped from the monster's gaping maw as it spoke to us, a distinct hiss inside its growling, masculine voice.

"I AM ASSSSSBEEL!"

I had my spare dagger with me, a serrated weapon with a diamond-tipped point and saw-like teeth that were barbed with the stingers of giant hornets. The blade itself was made of an ancient steel from India known as wootz, mixed with chlorine to form a potently damaging cocktail of chemicals, one that could kill with a single strike.

As the demon took a step towards us, MY reflexes took over as I threw the dagger, the blade soaring gracefully through the hellish air before firmly impaling itself a good three inches into the demon's neck. The demon screamed as the chlorine in the blade began to burn his skin, and as he pulled the dagger out, the poison of the hornet stingers flooding his system as blood gushed from the wound, some of it dripping down the teeth of the weapon. The beastly creature started towards me, but slowed and fell to its knees as the poison took effect. Soon, it was writhing on the ground, a disgusting mixture of grey foam and dark red blood coming from its mouth as it shuddered, finally stilling in death.

Treading lightly in in my four-inch heels towards the fallen abomination, I was inch away from picking my dagger up when I heard another hiss... one distinctly feminine. Before I could wrap my hands around the grip of my weapon, I was clawed from behind, shoved away as I stumbled forward to regain my footing.

Turning around, I eyed the person responsible: A woman naturally taller than me by half a head. Her skin was waxy yet fleshlike, similar to that of a figure in a wax museum, and identical to that of two of Quan Chi's female bodyguards. Fair locks of reddish-brown and black hair flowed down the back of her neck to about shoulder height, a gold streak in front like that of the others. She had no markings on her skin like the others, but there were reddish markings on her attire: a backless black halter top cropped to reveal her midriff, a large amount of cleavage, and the underside of her breasts, and body-hugging black booty shorts that were surrounded by a half-skirt that covered her posterior. The same marking on the bodyguards' attire was prominently emblazoned on the back of her half-skirt, and a tapestry-like weave connected two of the symbols together, one covering each breast. The woman looked at me with gleaming yellow eyes, a bestial nature clearly visible inside her as she sultrily walked and bent over, picking up my dagger.

"Impressive... A poison dagger. But you are now defenseless, and you will pay for what you have done..."

Without a thought, Scorpion stepped in front of me. "No! Genesis, we need your help!"

I raised an eyebrow. "This is Genesis? An Oni?"

Genesis gave a look of disgust before spitting a reply at me. "I am no mere Oni! I am the Princess of the Netherrealm, and you will pay for what you have done to my personal demon!" Another hiss rolled off her tongue.

My hands on my hips, I gave a stance of defiance to her. "And I am Princess of Japan, the domain of Hanzo Hasashi!"

The demoness gave a sneer as she looked over Scorpion. "Your 'Hanzo Hasashi' does not scare me, Princess. Scorpion, you need to take your whore and get out! My father banned you from the Netherrealm..."

**SCORPION'S POV**

"I know, Genesis, but I have a suspicion about Sapphire, one I greatly need your assistance to confirm."

The demon princess raised an eyebrow. "My assistance, Scorpion? What makes you think that I will not call my father here and have you killed? In fact..." A pair of chain whips appeared in her hands. "what makes you think that I have no reason to kill you?"

Sapphire gave an irritated response. "Do you really want to risk breaking up Hanzo's family reunion?"

"Do you think I care for your petty family reunions? You murdered my demon!" With a chant in a language neither myself nor the princess seemed to understand, a greenish glow surrounded Asbeel's remains as Genesis brought him back to life with her skills in necromancy, the still-wounded demon growling at the one who killed him.

"Demons cannot die. I know this from the stories."

Genesis merely shrugged at Sapphire's comment, but was shocked as the princess dashed forward, removing the dagger from her hands while she was primarily concerned about Asbeel. "All we ask for is your help in determining if I am or am not Kana Hasashi."

At my wife's name, all the hatred, all the bloodlust in Genesis' face evaporated. In its place was a look of empathy and concern. "Kana? Oh, Hanzo. I am so sorry..."

"For what, Genesis? I have an opportunity to be with my wife, to be happy again if Sapphire truly is her. All I ask is that you help me find out the truth."

Her face began to waver a bit. "It's just... I know how you feel..."

"I know about Nianzhi, Genesis, and I can only say that I understand, but from one who's lost a lover to the other, will you please help me regain my happiness?"

Quan Chi's daughter gave a smile. "Of course I'll help you, Hanzo." She motioned to Sapphire. "Alright, girl, come here..."

Sapphire stepped forward, standing in front of Genesis as she waited to see what she needed to do. "Now what, demoness?"

Gently, Genesis took her hands and placed them on the princess's temples. "Now, I want you to focus and focus hard on your vision. Try to notice as many details as possible. Do not just SEE things. FEEL things. Smell, touch, taste. Tell me as you see and feel these things..." Finishing her instructions, she began to chant.

Sapphire seemed to fall into a trance as she responded...

_"It was so long ago, before the Shogunate fell. I lived in the village with my son and my husband. Then the Lin Kuei came... I was restrained by two of them, one in black, one in grey... They beat me, brutalized me... I could hear my child's scream... The screaming..."_

I wanted to intervene, but Genesis merely chanted louder.

_"Then the door opened, and... he came. A warrior like the others, but dressed in blue. I heard the screams of the others, crying out as the Lin Kuei killed, murdered, and raped them, the frost outside consuming their corpses. The warrior unsheathed a katana, and then..."_

It seemed that the entire Netherrealm went silent for a moment as Sapphire finished.

_"Darkness..."_

Shocked by the heavy usage of sorcery, Sapphire fell forward, limp and unresponsive. I caught her as Genesis pulled back.

"When she wakes up, we will find out whether she is who you think she is."

The princess's eyes fluttered as she looked at me, a cold look on her face. "He is not dead..."

"What?"

"Our son, Jubei, is alive... Tapping into my past memories, who I once was, I do not feel his soul trapped in the state of purgatory."

Genesis smiled. "Guess she just so happens to be exactly who you thought she was... This will wear off soon, so make your reunion short, okay?"

I was too busy looking into the eyes of Sapphire. The Princess... and she was my wife, nonetheless! Oh how I had missed her...

"I have waited forever to be united with you again, Hanzo..."

Staying silent, I merely wrapped my arms around her, a solemn sort of sad silence surrounding me as I let my emotions flow forth.

"I missed you so much, Kana..."

Another cog connected in my mind and I stepped back, realizing something.

"Kana, I have recently met someone. She reminds me so much of you... I am afraid that I will fall in love with her as I fell in love with you. I do not know what to do, Kana..."

My wife crossed her arms, raising a delicate eyebrow inquisitively. "I assume she is the body I currently inhabit? She is me, even if she does not know it. Love her, accept her, and treat her the way you treated me. That is all I ask."

I nodded, smiling underneath my mask as my wife closed her eyes, all semblance of her past life dissipating once again. "So... Am I who you thought I was?"

I refused to respond with words, merely darting forward and embracing the princess yet again.

"Kana..."


	4. Daughter of the Nether

**OIA HEADQUARTERS**

**MARKUS X'S POV**

"Alright, Markus. We're sending you into the Netherrealm through the portal. Do some scouting, then use the portal generator to open a way back here. Understood?"

To show how much I hated my new job, I basically ignored what Sonya said and kept staring at her very prominent chest before shaking my head and looking up at her face. "I'm sorry... what?"

The OIA Major rolled her eyes as the portal opened for me to enter the Netherrealm. "Dammit, Markus, I already have one Johnny Cage. Please don't become another one..."

Stepping towards the shimmering rift, I turned back and smiled as Sonya, putting my helmet on. "Hey, I'm not rich or famous. It's not like I..."

Unfortunately, someone had left an exposed wire on the walkway I used to enter the portal, and because I was too busy focusing on Sonya(and her chest), I didn't notice it until it was too late. Stumbling forward, I dove into the portal and came out the other side, landing flat on my face.

* * *

**THE NETHERREALM**

"Ugh... I can barely see out of this thing." I stood up and looked around, having a bit of difficulty seeing due to the visor's design. Taking a few steps forward on the glowing crack-filled ground, I could've sworn that I'd heard something, but apparently, it was just my imagination.

Continuing to walk through the Netherrealm, I quickly became bored and frustrated. "I'm wasting my time here. If Sonya wanted real info about the Netherrealm, she could've come and gotten it herself. Why'd she have to send me?"

I immediately heard footsteps again, but this time, they weren't from my imagination. Turning to see who they were from, I was seriously surprised by the person standing before me.

She was dressed from head to toe in black, what appeared to be a bodysuit that clung tightly to her body. The bodysuit's metal clasps were visible from the front, and what appeared to be a zipper held the mask portion of the outfit together, concealing her nose and mouth. Her boots had shined spikes on their heels, and her long black hair came out from the back of the mask, held in a ponytail by a diamond-crusted ring, but quickly flowing out until it reached the base of her back. Her eyes were white, glistening like a shined piece of marble and contrasting the little amount of black skin exposed by her mask.

"What did you say?"

I was a bit stunned by this woman. "Um... nothing..." Taking a step back, I began to formulate a plan for escape, something she seemed to be unwilling to let me do.

"You said something about wasting your time here... I _highly_ suggest you come with me. The king and queen would like to see you, intruder."

"I'd rather not." Typing the code for transit back to Earthrealm into the portal generator, I waited a second and... nothing happened. The sound of a car door being locked came from the device as I silently cursed whoever invented this piece of scrap. Watching me with the utmost level of attention, the woman gave a very sinister chuckle.

"You won't be going anywhere."

It was then that I realized who this was, facepalming at my ignorance. "Noob Saibot? Since when did you become a chick?"

She shrugged. "Not that long ago. I am surprised you recognized me... Perhaps it was this?" As I watched, a black, oily substance seemed to peel its way off of her, forming itself into the shadow clone of Noob I recognized as Saibot. Oddly enough, he still looked like a guy.

"Huh. How about that..."

FemNoob narrowed her eyes at me. "What are you doing here? You are intruding on Netherrealm soil. The Queen will not be happy about that."

"Not much... Just looking around. Er... Nice place you got here." I picked up a rock from the ground and quickly dropped it, the semi-molten material falling to the ground and splattering like a blob of goo. With no effort at all, FemNoob reached down and grabbed a similar rock, squeezing it in her hands like Silly Putty before tossing it away. I used that as an opportunity to take another step back, only to step on the goop that was the rock I'd dropped, getting it all over the bottom of my boot. Stupid semi-cooled lava...

"Are you afraid of me?" The words from FemNoob hit like a rock.

"Look, I don't want to cause any trouble, okay? It would really hurt my feelings if I had to fight an..." I cleared my throat, "...attractive woman such as yourself."

She responded by giving another chuckle and advancing towards me, pulling out a very large dagger about the size of a combat knife. I frantically began to hit buttons on my portal generator, every single time getting that car door sound. "Come on, Markus... You helped make this thing. You can get past their add-ons..."

With a quick motion, FemNoob threw a ball of blackish mist towards me. On contact, I froze in place, the awkward angle I was in and the lack of stength in my body causing me to fall over as my helmet rolled away from my head. "Aw come on!"

As she stood over me, ready to strike, FemNoob stopped, a look of inquisitiveness on her face. Sheathing her dagger, she picked my helmet up and began to study it from a bunch of angles. "What is this?"

"It's a helmet... I bought it off a Canadian inventor and modified it to my liking. Please ignore the purple and gold paint... It's for my girlfriend, Mileena."

FemNoob looked more at the helmet before turning and looking back at me, a gleam in her already white eyes. "I assume you are an Earthrealmer?"

I gave a nod, sitting up now that the ball of mist that froze me in place had worn off. "Yeah. What, did you think I was the Lone Wanderer? Maybe Outworld's next big gladiator overlord?"

"No... It's just... I've never met an Earthrealmer."

"Okay..." Well, this certainly wasn't Noob. "Name's Markus, nice to meet you." I held a hand out, hoping she'd shake it. instead, she just stared at it...

"I am Adriana. Daughter of the wraith, Noob Saibot, and Genesis, Princess of the Netherrealm."

**ADRIANA'S POV**

Markus's eyes lit up like saucers when he heard who my parents were. "Noob Saibot? Isn't he... Oh yeah, demons don't die." He raised a gloved hand to his face, the palm of it smacking his nose as he got up. I handed him his helmet back, ready to pull out my mother's dagger and stab him if he tried any sudden moves.

"I must bring you to my parents. I do apologize, for you seem very nice, but those were my instructions: to take any intruders to them."

Markus gave a sigh. "You know I can't do that... I have no intentions of getting jailed in this literal hellhole for the rest of my existence any time soon." He thought for a moment. "You seem like an interesting woman. Why don't you come with me to Earthrealm?"

I gave a nervous laugh. "I cannot. My parents forbid it."

"And why is that? Surely they don't confine you here..."

"They sort of do. I never have been to Earthrealm. I _have_ been to Chaosrealm and Outworld before..."

"Realms allied to the Netherrealm... Thanks for the info." I gave him a brief glare as he kept on going. "So, what say you and I head to Japan for some pan-Asian cuisine? Your parents won't miss you for half an hour, will they?"

I gave him a look questioning whether he really was as bold or stupid as he sounded. "My mother is the daughter of Quan Chi, Princess of the Netherrealm and his chief assassin. She has spies everywhere... She will know if I leave. In fact, she probably knows that you exist here already."

"And my girlfriend's Empress of Outworld. Look... Just relax and let yourself have some fun for once. You're an adult. You can live your own life." He looked around. "Don't see anyone yet... I suppose I'm okay then."

I gave an eye roll, though he probably never noticed. "How can I trust you?"

He stood in a thinking posture for a moment before dropping the pistols magnetically holstered to his sides. "By the time I tried to shoot you, I'd be dead. I'm at your mercy, Adri."

"I prefer Adriana, considering that we just met." I continued to think about the issue. "I suppose that I will go. But only for a very short while."

Markus nodded and held his hand out. "Take my hand. That way, you'll come through the portal too."

I merely looked at said hand before gently touching his shoulder. "This is as much as you will get from me right now."

With nothing else to do, Markus merely shrugged and typed the coordinates of some place into his portal generator. A greenish rift opened up beneath us as we fell through it, falling, falling...


	5. Quick Answers to Long Problems

**KUROSAYA HIBACHI RESTAURANT, JAPAN**

**MARKUS X'S POV**

The portal opened up and the two of us landed in front of a hibachi restaurant. I always loved these places better than Chinese buffets; the food was always cooked right in front of you.

"You are wearing a robo-suit, and I look like I have no soul. Not to mention my attire." Adriana motioned to her skin-tight bodysuit.

"It's okay." I smiled under my helmet. "There's plenty of of people in Japan dressed weirder than this."

She gave me a look I could tell was a smile as I held the door open for her. We both spoke to the waiter in Japanese, her with perfect grammar and me using a vocal translator built into my helmet. The waiter sat us down at our table before bowing and taking our orders.

"I'll have the sesame chicken, with a side of fried rice." I looked over to Adriana, checking to see what she was having

"I will have whatever he is having."

The waiter nodded and bowed again as he went off to help prepare the food. In the meantime, I took off my helmet and watched Adri take her mask off.

It was really amazing, seeing her face for the first time... Her skin was flawless, her angles, perfect. The only thing unnatural about her was that from the back of her ears to the tip of her perky lips, her entire skin was black.

"You're beautiful..."

Adri gave a seeming blush as the chef came out, placing the chicken, rice, and vegetables on the heated up grill. I paid attention to Adri's eyes - they seemed to be following every move the chef made with his spatula and knife. The real spectacle came when the chef stacked several progressively smaller onion rings on top of one another and filled the area inside with lighter fluid before igniting it. The resulting fireball seemed spectacular to the Princess of the Netherrealm, a smile slowly forming on her face. The chef eventually finished as we began to eat.

"You gonna eat the rice?"

Adriana gave a smirk as Saibot disconnected from her, taking the seat next to her as he began to eat the rice. "Saibot is vegan." I merely raised an eyebrow before quickly devouring my food.

"So Adri, if you're gonna stick around, what say we head over to my house? I have some technology I'm working on back there, and while I don't know how good you are with a spanner, another hand never hurt anyone."

She gave what looked like a smile, then a frown. "I should be returning home."

"So soon?" I turned away, talking to myself "And I was going to ask if she wanted to play Mortal Kombat with me..."

"Mortal Kombat? Like the tournament?" Her curiosity levels shot through the roof.

"Yep. And maybe afterwards, I could show you my workshop."

"Workshop? I would love to see this 'game' and workshop!"

Smiling, I turned back to the wraith and gently took her hand. "Let's go!"

* * *

**MARKUS X'S HOUSE**

The two of us appeared several blocks away from my home. Most everyone was in for the evening, so no one was surprised by a walking armory and a black-skinned, white-eyed demoness walking down the street. The two of us reached the front of our house when she turned and noticed a rose bush that grew next to my front door.

"What is this?"

"A wild rose bush. It produces a certain type of flower."

Adri looked the flowers over before pulling one off that was much darker than the others, nearly black with very little red showing. "This one is much darker than the others."

"Yeah... The house's past owner grafted some rare dark-colored species of rose onto the plant."

"It's... like me."

I wrapped an arm around Adri's shoulders. "Just because a rose is black doesn't make it any less beautiful of a flower."

She shrugged my arm off, continuing to walk with the black rose in her hand like nothing had happened. "A black rose means death..."

"A black rose means beauty in that which is dead."

"Everywhere I go, there is death, whether I like it or not. I cannot do anything right."

I gave a frown. "Look at me, Adriana. You're here with me, and I'm not dead yet. No one else is around here, after all."

"Yet. That does not mean that it will not happen."

"Nothing will happen to me, Adriana... I promise." I gave the beautiful woman a gentle smile. "You're so beautiful, and yet... You've been deprived of true love your entire life. I'd... like an opportunity to try and help fix that."

Her eyes widened before subtly narrowing. "Love is not about looks, Markus... Besides, you you have no idea whether I have been deprived of love or not."

"If you hadn't been deprived of the type of love I'm talking about, you wouldn't sound so nihilistic."

"Maybe I have loved before, but merely rejected it."

I stayed silent as I typed the code in for the garage door. With a groan, it opened, revealing a workshop filled with half-assembled pieces of technology and every tool your average from-home armor builder could ever need. "Please excuse any loose parts..."

Adriana's eyes exploded as she eyed all the technology around her. "Oh my! This is amazing!"

I gave a funny smirk. "A demon with a love for technology? Say it ain't so!"

Adri gave a cheerful smile. "My parents have no idea, especially not my father, but I do have an interest in technology! I always wanted to build a suit similar to your own, but more... feminine."

I thought for a moment before a light bulb lit up above my head. "It just so happens that I have something similar to that I've been working on for Mileena..." Care to help me finish it?"

**ADRIANA'S POV**

I watched Markus pick up what appeared to be a bandeau top several wires, circuit boards, and energy cells placed above the fabric.

"This right here's a project I have planned for Mileena. When it's finished, not only will it exemplify her bust, but she'll also be protected from energy attacks. I just need to get the plating on." He kept looking at the top before turning to me. "But now that you're here, maybe I can rectify that."

I blushed. "I really do not know... Mileena's bust is impressive. Would this fit on me?"

"It doesn't have to be an exact fit... It just has to be good enough for the metal plate to snap onto it." He motioned to a painted piece of metal that had been forged to roughly fit the bandeau, currently sitting on a table.

"I suppose I can do it." Taking the bandeau, I waited for Markus to give me some privacy.

"You can change in my bathroom, you know. Go through the door directly in front of you, then go to the back room. That's the bathroom."

I nodded, taking off for the bathroom. I hurriedly unzipped my bodysuit and put the bandeau top on. It was a bit loose, but not to the point that the top was sagging off my body. With that done, I returned to Markus, his hands full with the plate. "Alright, now hold still."

With a hefty amount of force, Markus began to press the plate against my chest, trying to snap it into place. "It won't fit!" He took a step back before having yet another lightbulb moment. "Stand with your back against the wall. Maybe I'll get the leverage I need to pop that sucker in place."

I did as he asked, placing my back to the wall as he resumed pushing, his eyes were closed, concentrating on pushing, but I stared into them, sensing his soul... And found little to nothing sexual about what he was doing in his mind. Finally, a quick "Click!" signified that the plate was finally in place. Without a single word, I hurredly returned to the bathroom and put on my bodysuit once again, handing Markus the finished top.

"Thank you, Adri..."

I nodded respectfully at him. "You are welcome."

He looked down, placing the finished piece of technology back on the table as he began to fidget around. It was like he had something to say, but was having trouble saying it. Finally, he gathered up the gumption to finish his deliberating and put his thoughts into words.

"Adriana, I think I need to tell you something. I like you, and I want to know if you feel the same way."

I flashed a quick smile before frowning. "I like you, Markus, truly I do, but we cannot be together. I am promised to Sho Dai's son, when he has one, in order to strengthen the bond between Outworld and the Netherrealm."

Markus's smile failed to fade as he continued. "I think I have an answer beneficial to both of us."

"How so?"

"Well... Due to her rather unnatural means of creation, Mileena is sterile. She really wants kids. We've tried adoption, really we have, but no adoption agency wants any mother who carries fifteen inch sais with her everywhere while wearing a mask and exceptionally revealing clothing. You can't be with me because you're the heir to the Netherrealm throne. HOWEVER, what if you had kids? Any daughters you had would be passed the responsibility of intermarrying with Outworld, and Mileena could finally have children to raise and care for, even if they weren't biologically hers. It seems like a perfect problem solver."

I thought over his proposition. It seemed, by all accounts, to be the solver to both our problems, and yet there were so many unanswered questions. "And what if I do not wish to have children?"

He thought for a moment. "Then stay here and enjoy your freedom. As far as I care, you're a part of the family now. If your parents try to force you to do something you don't want to do, I'll take care of you."

I smirked, taking a step towards him. "Who said that I could not take care of myself?"

With that, I stepped forward into a tender embrace, hearing him whisper in my ear. "So you accept being a part of my family?"

I pulled back before giving him a quick kiss on the lips. "What do you think?"

Smiling, Markus suddenly picked me up in his arms, carrying me to his bedroom, Stepping over, he shut the door, locking it so what we were doing would not be disturbed...


	6. Lin Kuei Reunion

**FOREST OUTSIDE LIN KUEI PALACE**

**SUB-ZERO'S POV**

I remembered everything that had gone on. The agony of death, the cringing pain of being burnt to a crisp and having my charred spine pulled from my toasted body. Waking up in the Netherrealm, serving Quan Chi... Nightwolf. He was the one who had split me, having thrown my body into the soulnado and shattering my two sides.

All that had gone on was so tormentuous... I was alive and mortal once again, me, Bi-Han, assassin of the Lin Kuei, and yet... I felt as though a burden had been lifted from my body. However, it had been given physical form, fallen for its carnal desires by sleeping with the Princess of the Netherrealm, and worst of all...

It had begat a new essence.

Adriana, as she was called, appeared to be a very feminine Noob Saibot. I termed her and those like her as Saibota, females spawned from the original Saibot's essence. She seemed innocent when considering that she had no choice as to whether she was to be born to such a foul wraith as he, but she did distinctly inherit some of his traits: his ruthlessness, his passion, and above all, Saibot.

It was like an infection of the soul, Saibot was. It desired to consume you, feast on every portion of humanity in you until you were nothing but a demonic, hollowed-out shell of a man. Now that Noob Saibot was a separate entity from myself, I no longer had to worry about what he could or could not do. Adriana, however...

I stealthily crept through the forest, having fortunately teleported near the headquarters of my clan, the Lin Kuei. Though most of their members had been automatized, it is likely that they would recognize me were I to come in their sights.

Crawling past a tree, I looked over the plain that separated me from the Temple. There were no traps, no sentinels... perhaps I would meet a welcoming party inside.

As I took my first step onto the plain, I heard a noticeable ruffle a good distance behind me. I turned around and, as was expected, no one was there. Shrugging off my suspicion of being followed, I stepped down the hilltop and began to cautiously stroll down the plain.

Ending up at the Temple's seemingly abandoned gates, I stepped forward, hoping to be greeted by at least a gate guard, but this seemed to be not the case. Unless the Temple had been abandoned as a base, which was highly unlikely given its historical significance, at least some form of security should have been operable there.

I began to carefully walk through the hallways, looking for signs of abandonment, or traps left by last looters, yet I found no evidence of rust or dereliction. The building was in pristine condition.

As I pondered the reason for every wall and floor being perfectly maintained, I began to hear footsteps down a hall. They were loud and clunky, as though one were marching to war in metal boots. As it turned the corner and became visible to me, I noticed that it appeared to be some sort of automaton, a robot based off of the Lin Kuei cyborgs. _"A security system?"_ I thought.

The machine turned to me and froze. "I am Guard Unit 5. Identify yourself, intruder."

"I am Bi-Han, codenamed Sub-Zero, Lin Kuei assassin."

The guard began to search through some sort of database. "Identity confirmed... Intruder identified as Bi-Han, Lin Kuei assassin." Finally, my troubles were ending...

"Error: Subject is already deceased. Come with me, intruder."

The guard pulled out a stun-gun, which I quickly disarmed him of before freezing the very human guard. Before I could react more fervently, however, I felt a twinge in my back, stumbling forward as the blackness of unconsciousness began to overcome me...

**SAREENA'S POV**

Without his knowing, I followed him through the portal, still unsure of my reasoning. Was it a desire for freedom? A lust for the power I knew he had? Or was it something more than that? Regardless, I stealthily followed behind the ninja as he made his way through the forest.

As I treaded behind him, careful to make sure that not a sound came from underneath my heels, I accidentally crushed a leaf. With the ears of a hawk, Sub-Zero quickly turned towards me... but I was too quick, hiding in a green-leaved tree. From there I watched as the Lin Kuei warrior traveled down the plains to his home, his sanctum. I considered telling him about Sektor's "new policies," but instead chose not to. He was a warrior. He could handle any danger that came his way.

As he went through the main gate, I used the opportunity to leap down from my perch and dash down the plain, hiding behind a shined piece of wall as the Cryomancer entered through the large pair of double doors. Rushing in behind him, I too felt the emptiness and despair of the place. It was... hollow, as though everything human that had once graced the architecture of the Temple had been remodeled ever so slightly as to dehumanize it. Streaks of chrome lined the walls, giving the facades and carvings a more ominous appearance.

I stopped around the corner as the sound of metallic footsteps issued down the next hallway. Sensing that his focus was solely on what he knew was coming towards him, I slid into a room, close enough that I could hear their dialogue.

"I am Guard Unit 5. Identify yourself, intruder."

"I am Bi-Han, codenamed Sub-Zero, Lin Kuei assassin."

"Identity confirmed... Intruder identified as Bi-Han, Lin Kuei assassin."

There was a brief pause.

"Error: Subject is already deceased. Come with me, intruder."

It was only logical that a computer would believe fake anyone who had an identical facial profile to that of already dead man. As such, it attempted to attack Bi-Han with a sort of shock prod built into its arm. The weak security drone was quickly dispatched by the elder Sub-Zero, but another quickly appeared behind him and injected the Cryomancer with some sort of numbing fluid, something that made him fall forward, comatose. Another pair of cyborgs appeared, picking up the Lin Kuei's limp body and taking it down the hall.

Only those four cyborgs were visible to me as I stalked the group down every which hallway, them completely ignorant of my presence as they stopped in front of another pair of double doors.

Opening them, I saw inside briefly, a red cyborg visible that seemed to be the leader of the others. "Sektor..."

**SUB-ZERO'S POV**

I regained consciousness in the arms of two cyborgs. Looking them over, they appeared identical to the red one in front of me, except for their entirely grey coloration.

"Well," the red automation began, "welcome home, Sub-Zero." though the voice was heavily garbled, I could still immediately identify it.

"Sektor? What... what happened?"

The cyborg gave a look of complete apathy, the only look he could give. "The Cyber Initiative has been implemented. All Lin Kuei are to be converted into Tekunin - specialized cyborg assassins."

"I am more useful as a human than a cyborg, Sektor. Perhaps you have forgotten my past achievements..."

"Your achievements are meaningless, Bi-Han! Our clan must evolve, adapt to the modern technology instead of remain ignorant to the new weapons and armor such as this!"

The two Sektor-shaped cyborgs dragged my barely-mobile body to a table and strapped me down, preparing to turn me into one of them, another nameless drone in the Tekunin society. Sektor looked over the table, a gleam in his eyes.

"You will be very useful, Bi-Han... I will finally have another Cryomancer serving me once again... Hydro has served long enough as my second, and as I cannot get his daughter, his first student will have to do..."

"Another? What do you..." I attempted to sit up, but was pinned by the restraints.

Before the cyborg to my right could activate the device to begin the process, however, he suddenly sparked, a large dagger impaled through his back. With a sloshing sound, the woman retracting the blade from the corpse was none other than who I expected it would be. I watched as she effortlessly dispatched the second cyborg before pursuing Sektor, who cowardly disappeared. Struggling against the restraints, my body began to go numb from the aftereffects of the drug I was given, but I was able to utter one word before I took a long nap.

"Sareena..."


	7. I'm No Hunter-Killer

**SAREENA'S POV**

I had checked through the entire temple... the facility was abandoned, not a single living soul to be seen. Nothing living, nothing dead... I was used to death surrounding me, being a demoness from the Netherrealm, but I had never experienced such desolation and abandonment. In my realm, even the dead could cry out. Here, there was nothing.

A soft moan hit my ears as the man whose head rested in my hands began to stir. I had missed him so much... Before he could open his eyes, I bent forward and gave him a soft kiss on his forehead.

As my lips touched his fervored brow, his eyes shot open, but he barely moved as I continued to caress his cheeks. His cool blue eyes looked into and contrasted my own dark brown pair as we had a moment of seeming mental connection.

"I missed you."

The fact that he actually cared enough about me to admit that he missed me made a smile come to my face. If I wasn't undead, I would have shed a tear over how much he cared about me. Since I could not, however, I assumed that there were... other ways to make up for it.

"I missed you too, Bi-Han."

As I pulled back, the reborn Cryomancer sat up in my lap, his black hair nestled into my neck as he himself began to lean back on top of me.

"Sareena..."

"Yes?"

"We shared that tender moment in the caverns, after Quan Chi was killed. When you asked me to take you back to Earthrealm, we were interrupted. Where would we be if that never happened?"

I thought to myself for a moment. "What do you think would have happened?"

Bi-Han gave an answer that began to soften my heart. "I likely would be retired from the Lin Kuei, my sons and or daughters learning from myself and you how to be assassins. They themselves would one day join the Lin Kuei."

With that, I helped Sub-Zero up. "I know what you want. Are you sure you want that which Quan Chi and his personal minions have passed around as nothing more than a common harlot?"

He paused, a gleam in his right eye. "Yes. But first, we need to find out what happened here. There should be some evidence of Lin Kuei here. Bodies, records... Something."

"The red cyborg, Sektor... He mentioned someone named Hydro, who had a daughter."

"Ah yes, Hydro." Sub-Zero pulled up a holographic display on a nearby terminal showing the aged, cybernetically enhanced face of the hydromancer.

"Chang Xiaoping was the oldest Lin Kuei in the clan when I was a youth. He trained myself and many other students... One named Neksus accompanied us to the tournament on Shang Tsung's island. By that time, he was reaching his fifties, well past his prime as an assassin. When the Cyber Initiative was proposed, he thought that such enhancements would let him return to the field, do what he did best. Instead, he became the prototype for the Grandmaster's army of soulless machines..."

"What about his daughter?"

"Averyn Xiaoping. She had every bit the amount of talent that her father had. The death of her mother and the automating of her father drove her mad, apparently. One day, she left, never turning back."

"How useful is this information to us figuring out what happened here?"

"Hydro made a machine for Mist when she was younger. This robot was used by her up until the day she left. It had a link to the security database, so if we find the droid, we find out what happened here."

I gave a nod as we began our search, heading towards Mist's old room. The door was unlocked, easily sliding away from its closed position as we began to look for signs of the machine.

Searching around a corner, I noticed that one of the stones in the wall seemed just a tad out of place. Sub noticed it too, ice spraying from his palm over the rock as it began to crack, turning extremely brittle. With my Demon Fang, I struck the stone once, shattering it into several dozen large pieces that broke into even more upon contact with the ground. A gear began to turn as a portion of the stone wall began to retract into the floor, exposing the machine - bricked and mortared into the wall.

With a quick tug, I pulled the robot into the room. Its wheels seemed to be capable of moving in any direction, and they moved quite freely...

"Alright, so we have this device here... How do we get it to work?"

Bi-Han began to think before raising a finger and walking away, leaving me with the corroding hulk of metal. "Where are you going?"

He turned back to me. "I intend to get that thing running."

**SUB-ZERO'S POV**

I hurried to the nearest computer console. The robot was, as I knew from prior experience, voice-activated. The only one who could reactivate the device was Mist, but she was long gone.

However, there was a way to get around this. Mist had a voice identification sample located in the clan's computer database. If I could bring a copy of that audio file to the robot, it would accept her vocal input and reboot. But how could I do that?

Running back to Sareena, I immediately began to tug on the rusted shell, pulling the machine along with me to the console. Activating the speakers, I searched through the files until I came across that of Averyn Xiaoping herself.

_"Averyn Xiaoping, codename: Mist."_

A slow whir was heard as the robot's lights began to glow, its legs slowly moving in each direction as it twisted its torso. A loud grinding noise was heard as the machine stretched, checking itself for damage. "Statement: My exterior seems to have corroded over my period of deactivation. And my chestplate seems to have taken a missile at point-blank range. How crude."

I gave a shrug to the confused Sareena. "Hey, at least we know he works now."

The unit heard my voice and turned to me. "Confusion: You are not my master."

"Correct, but we needed to use Averyn's voice to reactivate you."

The droid thought for a moment. "Designation: I am Servant-Assassin Model 77, created by Chang Xiaoping as a companion for his daughter."

"Okay... Nice to meet you. Now what happened here?"

"Work: Accessing Lin Kuei computer database..." the machine hummed a bit before giving an answer. "Answer: Two video files found. I believe they may shed some more light on the situation."

On the screen of the computer console, an image of the long-missing Mist appeared.

"_If you're watching this video, then don't bother trying to find me. I'm long gone from the Temple. I made this in order to record the truth about the Grandmaster's Cyber Initiative."_

_"At first, I was proud of my father being able to do what he did best. Cybernetics were the only way for him to return to his duty of assassinating targets for the clan. Only after the process was complete did I realize what had happened. He doesn't respond to me... he doesn't seem to even act like I'm his daughter! All I am in his eyes is a designation."_

_"Furthermore, evidence from Sektor's private files seems to indicate that they're planning on doing this to every single member of the clan. As much as I'd love to become more capable at what I do, I refuse to sacrifice my humanity, my conscious thought, for greater skill in assassinating targets. As such, I have no choice but to leave the Temple and hope I never get found. Farewell, and spread this message if you get the opportunity."_

The screen distorted for a bit before going black, an audio file playing with the view of a security camera on the screen.

_"All Tekunin are to leave this facility immediately and make haste for the warship."_

"So they left..."

"Answer: Evidently, the cyborg son of the former Grandmaster wished to have a more mobile base. As such, he and his fellow cyborgs constructed a portable vessel, leaving this facility, and myself, behind."

"Then how were you stuck behind the wall?"

SA-77 gave a grumble. "Answer: I am as clueless as you are on the matter. One moment, I am searching through Mist's wardrobe, and the next, I am awakening in front of you two."

Sareena frowned before doing a complete inversion of her mouth. "So, Bi-Han, now that we have answers, could we, how do you say, enjoy ourselves?"

I smirked, gently holding her hand as the two of us made our way to Mist's room. SA-77 shut the door behind us as I curled up with my demonic lover in the bed.

"I love you..."


	8. Hooked Up Backstabbers

**IMPERIAL PALACE, OUTWORLD**

**TANYA'S POV**

"ENOUGH!" Sho Dai waved a hand and, at once, black tendrils of energy tore Nitya and Rain apart from one another. "Nothing will be accomplished if my minions continue to tear at one another's throats!"

I could only flash a grin as those in the service of Sho Dai continued to squabble amongst themselves. It was truly wonderful to watch, potential threats nullifying one another as I schemed, conjuring a plan in my mind to dethrone Sho Dai and rule Outworld for myself. And yet, for such a plan, I would need allies... One of whom I had already decided.

As the Emperor sat back down on his throne, I took several steps towards Rain, clearly agitated by his not gaining the upper hand in the argument. With a smile, I gave a gentle tug to his arm as he suddenly turned towards me and gave an exceptionally venomous glare. "What the hell do you want from me, Tanya?"

I gave the Edenian prince a sultry smile as I led him down a hallway. "Only a plan to regain you what I know you desire most..."

Even in his armor, with a mask obscuring his face, I could tell that Rain's interest was immediately perked. "You have a plan to dispose of Sho Dai and his whore Lamia?"

I nodded, opening a thick wooden door that led to my quarters. "Indeed... Come, I suppose we can discuss it here, away from prying eyes." As he stepped in, I made sure to lock the door behind him.

With a grin on his face, I could tell that Rain expected a certain course of events to occur, and who was I to deny him them? For all I cared, it was more time for me to expose him to the deeper tenets of my plan. "You and I, Rain, we are very similar. Both of us are meant to rule, and yet time and time again we end up as mere mud underneath the heel of whatever overlord rules this disgusting carcass of a realm. Apart, neither of us have the capability of taking on Sho Dai and his little magic harlot, but together, we can conquer this realm and, once we finish, begin our conquest of all the realms!"

As I spoke, I slowly but surely began to remove his armor, piece by piece, exposing his surprisingly toned and tanned flesh. In truth, it amazed me how tanned he was considering how much armor and clothing I had peeled off of him. With a quick grasp, I began to massage his shoulders, my lips behind his right ear as I began to tell him of the loot he would have in his possession, the lands he would rule, and what seemed to interest him the most: the harem of women at his disposal. Considering that I would eliminate him after he helped me with my plans, it was easy to lie to him like this.

After he was seemingly content with my rubbing of his shoulders, I took a step back and began to strip down, undoing the strings that held the top of my outfit together. With a sigh, more than just my cleavage was exposed to the former Edenian rebel as I began to undo the clasp holding my half-skirt on. Turning around to eye me, Rain seemed very eager to... negotiate with me on this plan, and I was more than happy to oblige.

"This is what you want, Rain, is it not? You want power, a beautiful women willing to let you take her whenever you wish, and a foolproof plan to give you what you always knew you deserved. If you wish to admit this to me..." I gave a smirk as my attire fell to the floor, "...all you need to do is say the word."

**RAIN'S POV**

Tanya's plan was indeed foolproof were the two of us to work together. With her skills in magic and diplomacy combining with my own of leadership and tactics, our plan to eliminate the two obstacles to us gaining control of Outworld had no flaws in it whatsoever, like a perfect diamond found once in a lifetime.

Of course, it was rather obvious as to what the outcome would be. I never trusted Tanya before. Why would I try and do so now? I intended to merely use her to achieve my own goals before eliminating her once she was no longer needed. I expected she felt the same way about me, thus I already knew what the outcome of this series of events would be.

Her promises of land, riches, and beautiful women were hollow, yes, but all held potential. However, what gave substance to those otherwise empty words was her beginning to undress... I could only smirk at her attempt to seduce me into her plan, and yet...

Her skin was a perfect dark shade, not too pale as to appear unnatural, but also not so dark that her gorgeous features were obscured. She was an Edenian after all. This meant she had been naturally gifted with a large chest, hourglass physique, toned muscles, and a perfectly angled face. Despite intending to betray her once this was done, I felt a twinge of guilt about my actions, as though...

As though I had legitimate attraction towards her.

As she asked for what my response was to her proposal, cleverly intertwined with the removal of her attire, I merely lept onto her, pinning the corrupted Edenian to the floor and preparing to do a great many depravably carnal things to her. With a look in her eyes, I smiled before kissing her and depositing an answer.

"Yes..."

**TANYA'S POV**

I woke up the next morning with absolutely no clothing on and a great deal of pain in my body. Turning towards Rain, I ended up falling out of bed as I attempted to wake him up; he was gone!

"That was one hell of a night, Tanya... Remember that pole dance?" Rain stepped into the room, smirking as he put on his mask, the last piece of clothing he needed as part of his outfit. I immediately remembered why it hurt so badly between my legs...

"Rain, I will admit one thing."

"That being?"

I gave him a smirk of equal value to his own. "You are the most sexually depraved bastard I have ever slept with."

I could almost feel the pompous Edenian puff up in a display of false pride as he headed towards the door. "Glad to know... And likewise, you are the most sexually depraved bitch I have ever slept with myself, if you doing anything I say in bed says anything about it."

With that, he closed the door, leaving me to my room. At first, I wanted to get out of bed and scold my cohort for getting up so early, but I quickly found out that this was not an option, my legs and arms barely able to move. Growling to myself. I bent forwards and began to crawl to the bathroom. A warm water bath would help relax me and get me through this pain.

A foot stepped into the water, then both, as I leaned back and watched the bubbling water cover my delicate-feeling frame. The heat began to melt away the mental frost that had grown over my muscles.

Without warning, I heard a sudden splash as a small geyser of water began to gush from the drain of my tub, spraying me in the eyes. When I could open them again, a naked Rain stood before me, wet and ready to go in the bath.

"Rain, can you at least let me get over our first night before trying to pound me again?"

"Sorry, I was under the opinion that until I received the 'harem of women,' as you called it, you were to be mine whenever I wanted, however I wanted."

I chuckled a bit at the Edenian's remark. Were it any other day, I would have wanted to pursue a more trustworthy relationship with Rain, but now was not the time. I apparently needed to get ready for yet another bedding at the hands of my new boy-toy.

With a tug, I pulled the hydromancer into the water, his toned chest pressing against my own as we looked into each others' eyes.

"I am glad you trust me enough to let me do this without thinking that one day, I will bite your manhood off."

"Please, even you could never be that cruel." I laughed, we kissed, and I considered whether or not to show Rain that yes, I could be that cruel when I wished. Until he requested such a sexual act, I supposed more traditional intercourse would do...


	9. No Such Thing as Mistakes

**TANYA'S POV**

It had been two weeks since Rain and I first twisted our plan from lusty dialogue to bedroom action. Since then, my partner had screwed me at least twice a day, every day. I was beginning to wear out, something I really did not want to admit.

As I got up, expecting another passionate lovemaking session preparing to begin, I realized that I felt horrible. Not horrible as in sad about my manipulation of Rain, but horrible in a physical way. I felt like I was going to throw up.

Trying to keep my composure, I reached over to grab my outfit when I felt a firm hand wrap around my wrist.

"Now that you're up... I suppose it's time to claim you once again."

I immediately sat up, and as I did so, I felt as though I was going to spill my guts any second now. With a sudden teleport past Rain that made the nauseous feeling even worse, I placed my head over the stone toilet and began to spew the food inside my stomach into it. I had never been so disgusted as I kept heaving, every last bite ending up in a disgusting mess of a slosh that swirled around in the rocky bowl. Feeling as though I had nothing left to throw up, I grabbed a tall, wiped my face clean of any sprays of puke that had gotten on my face, and sobbed as I returned to the bedroom.

Oddly enough, Rain seemed to show a look of concern over my condition. "Tanya, what's wrong?"

I looked at him with a pained moan, the white in my eyes dulling until they once again were their original brown. "I don't know, Rain... We need a doctor."

With a sudden grasp, the Edenian prince picked me up in his muscular arms and hurried to the nearby portal. The feelings of traveling between realms made me want to throw up again, and I did so, but nothing came out as my stomach was empty. I vaguely remembered Rain passing me off to someone before I fell into a deep, trance-like sleep.

* * *

When I woke up, I found myself staring into the eyes of Genesis, the Princess of Hell, as she and her father looked over me. Quan Chi had a sinister smile on his face, as though what he intended to tell me would be quite evil. Rain sat in a corner, staring straight forward with his mind in a seemingly frozen space.

"Hmph." Quan Chi's daughter sneered. "I guess even Tanya has a limit."

I suddenly sat up, feeling a pain in my abdomen as I did so. "Ugh... What are you talking about, licentious demon?"

Genesis cave a cat-like growl at me before suddenly smirking. "Perhaps Rain should tell you... If he's man enough to not abandon you."

The demoness quickly grabbed my latest lover and pulled him over to me, a whimper on his face as he talked to himself.

"It's not possible... Tanya's magic made sure it couldn't happen! It was supposed to protect her!"

It suddenly clicked inside my mind. "You don't mean..."

The demonic father and daughter duo both gave sinister smiles to me.

"I'm... I'm pregnant?"

**RAIN'S POV**

Curse this Elder Gods! How dare they cause Tanya's magic to fail, her to lose protection! Because of their ineptness, she was carrying a child inside her!

My child.

Unexpectedly, all my thoughts of betrayal towards the fallen Edenian vanished. It was like her being pregnant with my son or daughter had entirely changed her value to me.

She was strong enough to stand up once again, but I reached an arm out to steady her. She most like never noticed, but my touch had changed from firm and dominant to calm and gentle. Together, we walked through the newly created portal, returning to the Outworld palace.

While I felt nervous and a tiny bit excited about having impregnated a woman such as Tanya, part of me saw an opportunity to reform her self-image from that of a conniving whore to that of a manipulative, refined noble like myself. Tanya herself, however, seemed sad and somewhat downtrodden about the entire affair.

"I... I just have so much trouble facing the reality of the situation, Rain. I never wanted this to happen."

I sighed, placing a pair of hands on Tanya's shoulders as I began to massage her. "I have no problems with it... In truth, Tanya, I intended to betray you once our partnership was over... But that thought has been aborted. I may not yet truly love you, but I refuse to abandon you as you carry my child. My father did not abandon me, after all... Until I was born and adopted, that is."

Oddly enough, the manipulative Edenian flashed a quick smile, her eyes regaining their white coloration. "I intended to betray you too... But I guess that plan went out the window. I have heard of the hardships of single motherhood... Earthrealm women are to be pitied for their sacrifices. My child will not live in a single or divided family. I forbid it."

I smiled back, giving her a quick kiss from behind. "Glad to see you saw this situation my way."

With a seductive gaze, she began to remove her attire. "You know what this means for our relationship, correct?"

I raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "I cannot sleep with you due to our sex potentially harming the baby?"

Leaning on top of me, I could not help but graze her lusciously dark abdomen with my hand, knowing that inside her, the cells of my fetal child were dividing at a rapid pace.

"No... You and I will be sleeping together until I bear this child of ours. I hear the hormones of pregnant women make them desire to be pleased even more..."

* * *

**TEN MONTHS LATER**

**TANYA'S POV**

It was so heavy... I felt the child inside me struggle. For a girl, she held immense raw power. I was highly impressed by her strength at such a young age since conception.

Rain and I had grown close. We had continued having passionate sex every day... Now, not a moment could go by that I failed to think about such a thing. A mere few hours ago, my belly big as a dragon, we had relieved some stress.

I could already tell it was time. Pain coursed through my body as I felt the first contractions begin. With a loud cry, I stumbled over to a table, attempting to get onto it with no avail as another contraction racked me with pain, causing me to fall backwards.

Hearing my cries, Rain rushed into the cave we called home. Carefully, he picked me up and placed me on the table as I felt the baby begin to come. In a soft voice, he pressed his lips to my ear and spoke a single word.

"Push..."

The next thirty minutes racked my body with more pain than I had ever experienced. Mortal Kombat tournament fights held nothing to the racking agony of childbirth. Rain encouraged me every step of the way, helping keep progress of the child until she was fully out.

With a loud pop, my daughter exited my body, entering Rain's arms as he handed her to me. She reminded me of myself, a pair of soft brown eyes, but she had the fair skin of her father. Though I doubted Rain could, I knew that she had enormous magical potential, divided into strength in all five elements.

"Whst shall we name her?" Rain cut her umbilical cord with a jet of water.

I thought carefully, measuring between the options before finally deciding on one.

"I feel our daughter will have control over the five elements: earth, water, fire, air, and spirit. I wish to name her... Element. Elly for short."

Rain merely smiled as I handed him his daughter, Elly. She cooed, raising a hand to his nose and burning it with the heat from her palm.

"Aw, Elly... I love you."

A watery coagulation of gel seemed to form on her hand, stroking the burn on his nose as she smiled. Rain did as well, giving his new family member a kiss on the head.

"She has your natural talents with fire, and mine with water."

I gave a nod. "Indeed she does." He handed her back to me as I began to nurse my daughter like I knew Earthrealm women did. The moment her lips touched my skin, though, I knew something was different about her as a voice emanated in my head.

"I love you, mommy..."


	10. Clandestine Affairs

**SPECIAL FORCES HEADQUARTERS**

**SONYA'S POV**

"Well," I told myself, "you are fucking crazy."

I stood at the head of the Special Forces' army, a coalition of many beings from all the realms. With me were Parsek, Cyrax, Johnny Cage, Kenshi, Gemini, and an army of cyborgs and heavily armed Special Forces soldiers. I paced back and forth in front of them as I began to brief them on the situation.

"Men, this is the finest hour of the Outworld Investigation Agency's existence. On this very day, we'll be diving into the Netherrealm and performing a preemptive strike on the Forces of Darkness in order to stop them from being at full strength. If we don't stop them here, almost nothing remains to prevent these guys from invading New Year's day and killing everyone once again."

I paused, considering the fearful approach I was taking. "Unlike Shao Kahn, these demons have someone capable of dealing with these 'Elder Gods' at their side. If they invade Earthrealm... Nothing's going to stop them. I can only hope all of you understand how _important_" - I looked at Johnny Cage - "this fight will truly be. Any questions?"

As I guessed, Cage raised his hand. "What am I getting paid?"

With a suddenness that surprised even me, I slapped the movie star's left cheek as hard as I could. "Shut the hell up, Johnny! Do you want to end up like everyone we saw Sindel kill? I don't think so! Give a shit about saving the world instead of kicking ass for personal glory!" Looking back at the squad, I gave an emotionless glare. "We ship out in six hours!"

Still pissed at Johnny's arrogance and jackassery, I headed to my room, intending to mentally prepare myself before the oncoming battle. I had a feeling I knew what would happen, and I really didn't want to see it turn out this way again...

**JOHNNY CAGE'S POV**

I had screwed up. Big time. Sonya was pissed off at me now. The only thing I guess I could try to do was talk to her and apologize... something I basically never did in my life.

Walking down the hallway, I came to the room Sonya called home. I remembered that last day, how both of us watched Raiden fight Shao Kahn to the death. I remembered how Sonya and I went to her room and embraced each other... We were all that we had left. I remember hearing her cry as I kissed her, told her everything would be alright. How we lost ourselves in one another...

But enough of that mushy-gushy nonsense. You didn't come here to read me being sympathetic, did you? Anyways...

Knocking on the door, it quickly opened as Sonya, tears running down her face, gave me a wild and venomous look. "What the fuck do you want, Johnny!?"

As calmly as I could, I mustered up the courage to say two words that immediately calmed her down.

"I'm sorry."

Her jaw immediately dropped. "What did you just say?"

"I'm sorry for being such a dick to you and everyone else. Truth is, I'm as worried about this as you are. I just do a better job of hiding it."

Sonya began to tear up again as I gently gave her a hug before she tugged me into her room, pulling the door shut with the heel of her boot...

* * *

**THE NETHERREALM**

**GENESIS'S POV**

My father was beginning to gather his forces. Shinnok had told him to gather all who wished to come, and he had made myself and Noob responsible for collecting them all.

The Black Dragon members were all here... Kano, Jarek, Tasia, Tremor, and the undead Kabal. The three demonesses and Scorpion were there too, as was my loyal servant, Asbeel. Rain was here from Outworld, but apparently, Tanya had borne her child and was being forced to stay home. With our army of demons practically ready to attack Earthrealm, we had merely one more person to get.

Our daughter.

Adriana had hidden herself somewhere within the cracks and crevices of the Netherrealm. I had no idea why, but the reasons didn't matter. All that mattered was that she was with us, mercilessly slaughtering the Earthrealm warriors.

Suddenly, I heard a cry. I immediately perked up and began to move towards the source: a large fissure in the rock. "Adriana!"

Her soft voice responded back as myself and Noob drew closer to the fissure. "I'm here." I watched as Saibot emerged from Noob, slipping down and into the crevice of the rock, hoping to find my daughter. She evidently saw him, as she responded. "Don't come any closer, please. I'm not feeling well..."

I raised an eyebrow at this excuse. "We're demons. We don't get sick."

Her response was quick and a bit faltering. "I'm just... really tired, I suppose."

I had to press her, considering how flimsy of an excuse she gave... but she was my daughter. If she wanted a nap, I suppose I could give it to her. "You just don't want to a part of the attack, hmm?"

"Exactly."

I shrugged. I guess that was settled... "Come out, Noob. If she doesn't want to fight, we cannot force her."

The amorphous form of my mate oozed out from the crack before reforming himself into his normal form. Silently, he whispered into my mind through the bond we shared as demonic mates. "_She is emitting pheromones._" Out loud, his thoughts sounded like "I have no reason to ask her to fight. She is of age and can choose that for herself. I merely wish to know: Why are you hiding here?" as he looked into the crag below.

Our daughter's gleaming while eyes stared back at him, the rest of her body shrouded in the darkness of the miniature cave she was in. "I am a single demoness in heat... I'm hiding from the male demons out there."

I myself gave a nod to this perfectly reasonable explanation. "Let us leave her be, Noob." My mate nodded as we left our daughter alone to her own devices.

"The hormones she was emitting were pregnancy hormones."

I nodded. "I know. Cat-like sense of smell, remember? I could smell it from the other side of the Netherrealm. For now, let's return to my father and tell him of Adri's absence."

**ADRIANA'S POV**

I could feel them. The children inside of me were struggling with one another - fighters at such a young age. I sighed with relief as my parents left the crevice I hid in, rubbing my swollen abdomen in an attempt to calm them down.

There it was again! The feeling of distinct evil from one of my children... She was primarily the one who fought, who kicked and punched so hard that I rarely had a moment of rest without feeling like she would tear my belly open and crawl out, blood dripping from her body as she slipped out of the wound she made in my flesh.

My thoughts on the evil growing inside my womb were immediately shattered by a muffled scream. I noticed immediately that one of the children, virile and active mere seconds ago, had stopped moving. I could feel the life slipping from him. "No! I must find Markus."

Quietly and painfully chanting an ancient incantation, I opened a portal to the house of my mate, sensing his location. Going through the rift to Earthrealm, I fell forward onto my hands and knees as Markus gave a sudden gasp, throwing away the game controller. "Adri!"

I gave a small smile at Markus, trying to stand up. "Hello, Markus..." As I attempted to get up, a particularly strong kick from my daughter gave me a grimace as I sank back down to my knees. "The children are fighting."

Markus could only give me a soft frown. "How can I help?"

"I don't know..." He came over to me, draping my arm over his shoulder as though he were taking a wounded warrior from the battlefield. Another kick and writhe from my children made my cry out quite loudly. He placed a hand on my belly bulge, trying to calm my children down, but this seemed to only agitate them more as my daughter tried her best to burst out of my chest, my screaming sounding like someone was being murdered.

'Calm down... Why is this one so violent?"

I gave a loud breath, trying to calm myself down. "I don't know."

He thought for a moment, processing the information. "Why have you come back so early?"

"I'm in pain. Can't you see? I wanted to see you..."

He flashed a quick grin. "I understand..." Getting behind me, he slowly pulled me to the ground, resting my back on his chest as he cradled my exploded tummy. "How many are there? Boys? Girls?"

I held one of his hands with my own, the other on my stomach. "Three. Two boys, one girl." Our combined touch had seemingly relaxed my daughter and our sons. Markus himself gave a joking smile as he felt our offspring move within me.

"No wonder you have such a bulge." With that, he began to run his hands down my body, from my shoulders to my hips. "What should we name them?"

The girl's dark aura got my mind churning. "The girl's name is Nemesis. What shall we name the boys?"

He put a hand to his chin. "Your father's named Bi-Han, right? Let's name one Bi-Han... and the other, Xavier, after my last name."

"That sounds perfect..." I smiled, burying my head in the crook of his neck before suddenly frowning. He had to know. "Markus..."

"Yes, darling?"

"The Netherrealm... It's a trap. My parents and their army are ready to ambush your forces... Everyone will die."

He kissed me, leaning over my head as he pressed our lips together. "Why did you tell me this? Aren't you betraying your parents?"

"You are family. You deserve to know." Slowly, I stood up, getting off of my mate. "Go. Warn them. I'll be waiting here for you."

Markus gave me a nod as he put his helmet on. "Welcome to the family. I promise that when all this is over, you, Mileena, Skarlet and I can have some wonderful misadventures of our own... in bed." With that, he disappeared, on his way to wherever the Forces of Light were. I didn't care as I made myself comfortable.

"Mmm... Who have we here?" The voice that broke through the silence was one I recognized very well as I turned around, the Tarkatan-toothed woman giving me an evil Cheshire grin. Slowly, she took some steps towards me, gently pinning me to the bed as her mouth reverted... to that of a human!

"Hello, sweetie..."


	11. Sonya's Inferno

**MARKUS X'S POV**

I was just in time! The forces of light were all lined up, ready to go single file through the portal to their inevitable demise. With a sudden dash, I stepped in front of them, just as Sonya was about to go through the now-active portal.

"What the hell are you doing?" The bitchy Major got in a fighting stance, ready to try and knock my lights out if I didn't move out of the way.

"It's a trap! Don't you get it? They're waiting for you on the other side of that portal. All of you are gonna die if you go through there!"

She crossed her arms. "And how would you know this is one hundred percent the case?"

Did I want to give out my secret? That a member of my family was the daughter of Hell's ruler? Nah.

"I have contacts, through Mileena, who live in the Netherrealm. They told me."

Sonya didn't seem impressed. "I don't trust you, Markus. After all, you did run off with Sub-Zero's suit just to be with your genetic experiment of a girlfriend." I froze the moment she went there.

"You're calling my girlfriend a genetic experiment? Hilarious. She's the perfect _all-natural_ woman. You on the other hand," I pointed at her clearly enhanced chest, "have clearly had some work done."

A smack across the helmet made me jiggle like a bobblehead for a moment before I regained my footing. Taking it off, I found myself hit with another blow to the head by the Special Forces leader. "Who the fuck do you think you are trying to talk about my breasts, you pervy bastard?"

"Hey, you insulted my girlfriend! Only fair I get to say something back!"

Another backhand was quickly stopped by my arm, twisting her own behind her with a hammerlock. "Attacking your own countrymen? Treason, treason, sweetheart."

With a sudden tug, Sonya pulled away from my, sending my flying through the air as she reverse bicycle kicked me, slamming me to the ground with her legs. As she sped towards me, intending to finish me off for the time being, I pulled out my Glock and shot her in the bulletproof vest. The impact was something she didn't expect as she fell forward, both of us struggling to get up.

"Now... will you... listen... to me?" I huffed, trying to sit up in my heavy armor.

"Like hell... I will..." Sonya herself was still jarred in the chest from my bullet.

Unable to pull myself together and sit up, I simply rested there, hoping my strength would return to me before Sonya's did...

* * *

**MILEENA'S POV**

"Mmm... Who do we have here?"

The woman on my bed was clearly not from Earthrealm. She gave off an aura of death, a feeling as though she was not alive, but not dead either. I immediately recognized her.

"Adriana..."

Quan Chi's daughter with an Outworld sorceress, meant to seal the alliance with Outworld through her marriage with Vulcan, one of the children of Shao Kahn's harem. She would sleep with Noob Saibot, creating the feminine form I saw before me. As for Vulcan, I disposed of him and the other threats to my rule once I became Empress, of course... but here she was.

And pregnant.

I noticed the distinct bulge topping her abdomen. The life growing and moving inside her seemed to respond to my presence. In truth, I was somewhat jealous of her ability to conceive, due to my sterility.

"Hello, Mileena..."

The demoness smiled as best she could, visibly discomforted by the children she was carrying. "I came here to see Markus, to warn him..."

This immediately perked my interest. She knew Markus? How?

"How do you know my boyfriend?"

She stayed quiet for a moment. "Markus told me how you wanted a family. He also told me that you were sterile, unable to have kids. When we met, I was going to be given to Vulcan in marriage. He gave me an offer to be the mother of his children. Your children. Since it was better than being raped by Shao Kahn's bastard child, I accepted."

I was surprised. I never thought Markus would try to give me children, especially by sleeping with a demoness. Did he know that they were now mates for the rest of their lives? Regardless, it was a sweet gesture, and even I did not have the heart to kill a, quite frankly, helpless pregnant woman.

She was helpless indeed...

"You need someone right now, don't you?"

Withot hesitation, she nodded. Her hormones were clearly out of control, and with Markus away, she had no one to help her deal with being in heat...

Except for me.

* * *

**SONYA'S POV**

Lucky me... Between the two of us, I was the one who got on their feet first. Picking Markus up, I shoved him into Cyrax, who grabbed the rogue Special Forces agent and helped him stand up.

"He's coming with us. If he makes even a single move to try and escape, you have my authority to eliminate him."

Cyrax nodded as we finally stepped through the portal.

* * *

The Netherrealm was, as I expected, a desolate wasteland fitting to be called Hell. I looked around, trying to find any evidence there was a trap lying in wait for us, but nothing showed up.

"Another trick, Markus? No surprise there..."

Then I ate my words.

Suddenly surrounding the party were demons. Many, many demons of all shapes and sizes. Some looked human, one looking exactly like me! Others were more bestial. The leader of their group was a woman with a streak of gold in her reddish-black hair. With a glare in her yellow, catlike eyes, she pointed at Markus. "You... are coming with me!"

As she stepped towards Markus, I shot her with a quick square wave pulse, knocking her back a bit. The demonic hell-bitch grinned sadistically at my, licking her lips in a cat-like fashion as she gave orders to her subordinate demons.

"Kill them all. Leave none alive."

With that, our fellow Special Forces members began to valiantly fight the army of hideous demons. The cyborgs engaged them in hand to hand combat while a team of soldiers armed with M249 SAWs fired at the demons from a back row. I myself was locked in a tussle with the one that looked like me. Johnny cage was fighting the right-hand demon of the woman who kidnapped Markus, while the other Earthrealm warriors found themselves fighting a slowly losing battle.

As the fight wore on, our soldiers began to run out of ammo. Their magazines empty, they pulled the ammunition belts out of their guns and began to use them as makeshift clubs, bashing in the skulls of demons that broke past the cyborgs. Those whose gun-clubs broke pulled out combat knives, advancing into the fray with them in an attempt to slaughter even more of the devilish horde.

Unfortunately, even the valor of these soldiers couldn't save them from the overwhelming horde of undead abominations. Their death toll increased even more as the woman returned, her eyes now a glistening emerald as the white-hot whips she held slashed through a soldier and his rifle.

Appearing almost at the same time as the woman was Markus, firing his pistols at the nearest demon and blowing the creature's head off. I noticed that aside from his guns, all his weapons were used up. The taser cord was wrapped around his wrist, accentuating the flamethrower's burn marks on his palms.

"I tried to warn you, Sonya! You didn't listen, and now their blood is on your hands!"

I knew he was right, but ultimately, he would never be able to understand why I made such a hard decision. Being in the military, I had to make decisions like this on a regular basis. Now, though, I knew what needed to be done.

"BACK THROUGH THE PORTAL!"

the order to retreat sparked new life into the weary soldiers. Grabbing the wounded, they fought on, pulling back through the portal and leaving the dead where they lie. With that, we finally abandoned our position in the Netherrealm.

Markus was the last of our party through, but several of the weaker demons had followed us! They were quickly dealt with, of course, but their hideous corpses were all too familiar a reminder of how disgusting a place Hell could be.

I couldn't forget about that woman. Her paled skin, catlike demeanor, and general level of evil sent shivers running down my spine. I had the strangest feeling we would meet again, though...


	12. The Evil Mother-In-Law

**MARKUS X'S POV**

Why did Sonya do this? Did she really not trust me enough to take my advice at face value? Regardless, we were in this too deep to pull out now...

As the cat-like woman came towards me, Parsek engaged her with a katana. Instead of the sword harming her as was expected, though, she grabbed it by the blade and pulled it out of his hands. As the weapon clattered on the ground, I saw her crimson blood begin to flow from the wound, which... healed?

"Fuck," I muttered under my breath, not really being able to take my eyes off the woman about to seriously maim my best friend as the gash in her palm fully closed up. She pulled out a pair of flaming whips as I stepped towards her, cocking my head to the side in curiosity. At least with the helmet on, she couldn't see that I was noticing her attire being very similar to that of Mileenas: a leotard slit down the middle with weaving holding it together.

"You look confused, mortal. You've never seen me before... I am no ordinary demoness."

With a sudden motion I could barely see, the leader of the demon army rushed towards me, grabbing my arm and teleporting the two of us to another valley.

"Earthrealmers... Always so eager. Especially the Americans..."

As quick as I could, I pulled out my Desert Eagle and fired an entire clip of .50 Action Express rounds into her. A single shot was more than enough to blow her head off. The full clip would leave nothing left of her but bloodied chunks of flesh. I'd be sure to take a picture and show it to a friend of mine back in Earthrealm.

And yet, it didn't work. Her body seemed to change, becoming more cat-like for a brief moment as her wounds seemed to physically force the bullets out of her body, her spitting one out that had gone into the back of her throat. Her flesh then merged itself back together as she smiled, a truly evil look on her face. "Now now... That's not the way to treat your host. You come to my domain and shoot me? Tsk, tsk, Markus X."

I froze in place, quickly reloading my Desert Eagle despite it being totally ineffective against the woman in front of me. "Who the hell are you and how do you know my name?"

"I am Genesis, future queen of the Netherrealm and the daughter of Archsorcerer Quan Chi. As for your name, many know it."

"I made that big of a mark here after I killed Quan Chi's assassins? Good to know." I twirled my worthless Deagle and re-holstered it, trying to live up to my apparent reputation as a badass.

"Indeed. But trust me, I will not be so easy!" With a sudden burst of telekinesis, very similar to Ermac, she picked me up, throwing me against a rock before hurling me into the air and slamming me into the ground, my ribs cracking as my eyes span around from the concussion.

"May the demons of the Netherrealm take pity on your soul!"

* * *

**GENESIS'S POV**

With speed a mortal could only dream of, I dashed forward and, with a roundhouse kick, shattered the lens of Markus's helmet. His head flew back, the modernized helm flying off his head and landing several yards away.

Standing up, he looked at me with a smile, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth as he pulled out a blade mounted in he wrist of his armor. "Why so serious? Live a little."

I crossed my arms, staring at him. "I've been living for thousands of years."

"Truly live. Have fun, for God's sake!"

"There is no time for fun. I have an army to run. Responsibilities." He apparently knew less of me than I assumed Adriana had told him.

"And? Just because of that doesn't mean you can't have fun. Besides, if you don't, you'll start acting like a bitch."

"That's what I'm known for. Trust me, I can still have fun. Ask my husband." I gave a satisfied smirk at the nights of passion that ended every single day. Gods, I would kill for Noob to be here right now.

"Ah yes, Noob Saibot... Adriana's your daughter, right?"

"Yes. I know you impregnated her." I gave a frown. My daughter was supposed to mate with someone powerful, not this... Earthrealmer! Everything about him annoyed me: his attitude, his intelligence, his physical inferiority to myself, his average looks...

"Yes... Two sons and a daughter. Mileena will be very happy that she will have kids to raise, and I'm happy to have someone else in the family."

"Quite a load. No wonder she was in pain. But I hear that you and Mileena are still together. You are... unfaithful to her?" My body reverted to its natural state, though my eyes gleamed like a glowing green lantern instead of a cat's yellow irises.

"We have an open relationship. Besides, Mileena is sterile. She cannot have children. We can't adopt for obvious reasons, so surrogacy seemed the way to go. I thank your daughter for being the mother of our children."

I rolled my eyes. "Please... An open relationship's just an excuse to sleep with more than one woman."

He could only smile. "Polygamy may be outlawed where I come from, but if I love two women, why not have them both if they love me as well?"

I shrugged before rushing forward, grabbing Markus by the throat and holding him up with a single arm. "I'll give this to you straight. If you ever, EVER hurt my daughter, I will skin you alive and hang you on my wall." My cat-like claws emerged from my free hand to emphasize that I wasn't kidding.

"Ooo, kinky." Even now, the smile on his face refused to vanish. "I love your daughter. Hurting her is out of the question."

"Kinky? No. I'm more serious than you can imagine. I will make you suffer." I relaxed my grip on his neck, letting him down. "Good thing my daughter is pregnant with your child, or I would kill you where you stand."

* * *

**MARKUS X'S POV**

Well, I had to say something to compliment Adriana right now, or I was dead meat. Thinking about everything good in her pregnancy that I could, I gave the demon princess something I guessed she was waiting for.

"Your daughter is gorgeous when pregnant with my children. Her charcoal black skin, smooth as silk, her glistening white eyes like lit diamonds... She looks amazing."

My kind words about her daughter were met with nothing but disgust. "Young love is sickening."

"And you're telling me your husband doesn't feel this way about you?"

"Of course he does. But he doesn't sound like a lovesick puppy dog."

Well, I was too far into full-scale nice guy mode to back out now. "I love the women I love unconditionally, with all my heart. That's the way people should be loved. I have no reason to deny how strong and passionate my love for Adriana and Mileena is." Genesis did nothing but mock me, rolling her eyes and motioning with her hand as though it was talking and repeating exactly what I said.

Suddenly, her still-human ears perked up, as though she could hear something going on. An evil smile crossed her face as he slowly turned to look at me. "You'd better go back to your troops. They seem to be having trouble." With that, she herself teleported away, returning to the battle.

I typed in the code to return to the fight myself, but like before, the sound of a car door locking was all I got out of it. Angrily, I smashed the device against a rock formation, and oddly enough, it worked! I found myself back in the fight!

Except the fight was almost over. Dead bodies lined the valley, some human, some demon. The few remaining humans continued to valiantly fight on. My eyes caught those of Sonya's as I repeated my warning to her.

"I tried to warn you, Sonya! You didn't listen, and now their blood is on your hands!"

With that, the Earthrealmers were routed. All of us returned through the portal. As I turned and looked back at Genesis, her smile was still here as a thought made its way into my head.

"Run away, Markus... Run away and never return..."


	13. Obligatory Tales

**JADE'S POV**

Kai was... a kindred spirit, to say the least. Just as I was not a typical Edenian, neither was he a typical Shaolin monk.

As I tended to his wounds from the battle in the Netherrealm, I couldn't help but notice his distinctly darker skin. It contrasted rather well with the tattoos he had, white tiger stripes running down his body.

"Kai?"

He turned his head slowly, looking at me. "Yes?"

"How did you get these tattoos?"

Carefully sitting up, Kai smiled as he began a story...

"In Nepal, there are... certain places you typically do not go to. Forbidden places. During my training as a Shaolin monk, I was told to travel deep into a forbidden forest in order to learn from the knowledge in a bank of ruins."

"Days passed before I reached the crumbling remains of a Buddhist monastery. I could feel something in the air, a tingling that ran down my spine as I entered through an unblocked doorway."

"Deeper and deeper I penetrated into the ruin until I found a large room, seemingly lit by a single candle. Sitting in the middle of the room, cross-legged and meditating, was a man with distinct Oriental features and a very long beard."

"He said nothing, but motioned for me to meditate with him. I did so and, for the next few days, mastered many skills the man had taught me, including the channeling of energy into blows, usage of the elements, and a distinct form of meditation that put me in such sync with the Earth that I felt as though I were physically part of it."

"I slept not a single moment in that temple, always staying and learning from the man until one day, he disappeared. Sensing that I had learned all I could from him, I left the temple ruins and returned to the dojo. Shortly afterwards, I got the white tattoos on my black skin, representing the tiger, an animal that lives in my country, and the yin and yang balance in my body, representing my harmony with reality."

I smiled. That was a cute story.

"So, what about you, Jade? Tell me your story."

Knowing that it was admittedly somewhat inevitable, I began my tale, sitting down on one of Parsek's comfy chairs.

"I was a young girl from Edenia many years ago. When Shao Kahn invaded, my family was left with nothing. In order to survive, they gave me up as a servant to the Imperial household. I grew up as nothing more than a mere kitchen woman, forced to help with the many pots and pans it took to make a royal feast. I also had the duty of serving the alcohol, a job that still disgusts me to this day."

"Then, one day, everything changed. I was serving drinks, as usual, when a drunk Masked Guard grabbed me and, in the sight of the Emperor, tried to sexually assault me. Kitana saved my dignity that day, throwing a fan across the table and decapitating the intoxicated warrior. I owed her my virginity and, as such, managed to become her personal servant."

"And yet... Personal servants never are really servants, are they? Our relationship soon evolved from that of the master and slave to that of two best friends. We told each other everything, and kept one another's secrets as well."

"Knowing that I tired of being a mere companion, the 'Princess's Pet' as I was called, Kitana invited me to train with her one day. I was surprised, but how could I refuse? She was giving me an opportunity to elevate myself in the royal household. And thus, she began to train me as her own personal assassin."

"She taught me all that she herself had learned from her false father's assassins, sent me on personal missions... Until she eventually revealed me to Shao Kahn. In spectacular fashion, I bested the sorcerer Shang Tsung in a single round fight, earning the right to join my best friend as one of the Emperor's assassins."

"She always had doubts, which came to a head when she knocked me unconscious on her way to the Flesh Pits. When I had heard about the clone Shang Tsung had been responsible for creating, as well as that Kahn had lied to her for her entire life, I knew then that my allegiance was to Kitana, not him. Thus, I helped the Earthrealm warriors, even if it meant my death."

"When Shinnok brought Kitana back as his personal assassin, he resurrected me as well, knowing that the princess could not function to the best of her abilities without me. And so I retain allegiance to her yet again, even as she returns to the side of the Forces of Light."

* * *

**KAI'S POV**

Interesting... As she was the student of Kitana, so I was the student of Liu Kang. She had been very cordial to me, and thus, I couldn't stop myself from asking a very serious question.

"So Jade... What do you envision as the perfect man for you?"

She placed a hand to her chin in thought, not entirely sure of an answer herself. "I would like to end up wedded to a man who understands me. Someone who can relate to my experiences with what happened during their own life. I wouldn't mind adding good looks onto that, but I consider them secondary to true understanding between us."

I smiled, barely able to control myself. "Funny enough, that almost sounds like me."

She flashed a quick grin in my direction. "Indeed it does... Why else would I ask you out for cheeseburgers?"

The gears finally began to click in my mind. "Wait... So you're saying you were thinking exactly what I was?"

Gently, she slipped behind me, rubbing my unbloodied shoulders with her delicate fingers. "Tell me... What were you thinking?"

I began to feel somewhat sleepy, relaxed and calm, unable to hold back my words and true feelings...

"Jade, I would like to get into a relationship with you and see if you are the woman for me."

A quick kiss came from her lips, gently planted on the back of my ear. "I was thinking the same thing. You seem very much like the sort of man I would want to marry. And at a minimum, it's nice to know a single Earthrealmer who isn't so... So dulled."

I pulled back a bit. "Are you saying Parsek is dull?"

She nodded. "That, and he refuses to teach his students to their breaking point. Something I really have trouble standing... Useless half-trained warriors..."

I turned around, our eyes nearly level as I reassured her. "Not everyone takes fighting as seriously as we do. It is their choice whether they wish to grow in strength as kombatants or not. This is one of the perks of Earthrealm: the majority of our world does not use force to push its ideals."

I heard her give a sigh as I stood up, gently leading her to the chair again and beginning to massage her own shoulders. "I suppose you're right, Kai... At least the world isn't like Markus X. I would never be able to stand living here in conditions like that."

I chuckled, remembering Skarlet's account of the pregnancy scare with Markus a couple of months ago. "All you have to do is yell 'UNEXPECTED BABIES!' Markus will have a meltdown."

The two of us had a laugh imagining Markus running around in a circle, his armor half-on and his eyes spinning in circles as his mind tried to comprehend what he'd been told.

Then Jade's phone rang. "It's Kitana. I'll only be a minute." She turned away and began her conversation.

"Hey, Kit, how are things going with Liu? Good..." her happy smile melted into a ghastly expression of pure shock. "WHAT? Are you serious? He did... Yes, I agree. It just goes to show the kind of man he is... It is a terrible choice to let her stay here, even if... I know, but why are we feeding her and giving her shelter when she can obviously be a threat? Can she not go back where she came from? Alright then... Be there shortly."

Jade closed her phone, giving me a somber look. "I have to go. Kitana's discovered an... Issue with the Forces of Light."

Judging from the conversation she had with the Edenian royal, I guessed there was only one person who would be considered such a problem by Kitana.

"Markus?"

She stayed still for a moment before responding.

"Markus..."


	14. Queen of Spades

**MARKUS X'S POV**

"No!" I ducked underneath a slap from Kitana. "We are NOT letting her stay here! She could compromise our entire operation and expose our plans to Shinnok!"

I grabbed her wrists, stepping on her feet and leaning back when she tried to headbutt me. "She is the mother of my children! I refuse to abandon her."

The Edenian princess growled, but calmed down as Jade placed her hand on the royal's shoulder. "Kitana, please... Calm down. If you were sterile, and Liu Kang and I intended to use me as a surrogate mother so you could have a son or daughter, would you try to force him to abandon me?"

"No, but that is different! You are my best friend, Jade, but this woman... She is nothing but pure evil at her core."

"So, like me?" A voice broke through the bitter conversation we were having, one I recognized very well as my girlfriend, her khaki booty shorts firmly hugging her ass and complimenting her magenta accented black tank top and its lovely cut, exposing a trace of the pink bra underneath.

"Precisely." Kitana still had a bone to pick with her clone of a sister.

"Funny... Our mother treated _me_ like the favored child, not you."

The two women drew their weapons and lept towards one another, but Liu Kang and I stepped in front of them, freezing the pair in their tracks. Shinnok had done this intentionally with Kitana, I knew, making her less inhibited towards Liu and more cruel towards her 'sister.' I hadn't known her while she was alive, but it was pretty obvious that he'd done something to her.

Mileena then sighed, relaxing and going back to our bedroom. She was frustrated, and though I knew she got over it, I didn't know how. All I knew is that there were plenty of tissues on the ground. Tissues I always had to pick up.

Deciding to leave Kitana and Liu Kang alone so they could work on her issues, my ears immediately perked up to the sound of something coming from my bedroom. Peering inside, I couldn't help but notice Mileena. I watched her moan, her body shifting as something began to fill her abdomen up. Her bandage-clad stomach began to expand before settling at the size of a woman six months pregnant. She placed her hands on the bulk of her new belly, stroking and cradling it reverently...

Then she began to cry.

A drop of red dripped from between her legs, and as it drew back into her, I immediately understood. Opening the door, slowly and silently slipped into my bed, getting behind the lovely hybrid that was my future wife, kissing her on the back of the neck. "Baby, what's wrong?"

She sighed, leaning back into my chest and taking my hands in her own, placing them on her abdomen. "I want kids..." She broke back down in a frenzy of incoherent crying. "I'm sterile and I want a family and I can't have it!"

I smiled, running my hands over the bandages 'covering' her body. "That's what Adriana is for... She will bear children for you to raise!"

Her sobbing had stopped, but my lovely half-Tarkatan was still having a downer. "I know, but... Surrogacy or adoption just isn't the same. You know they're your child, and yet, they aren't. What if they ask about their real mother? What am I supposed to tell them?"

"The truth," I responded, running my hands over her tummy. "But why fill yourself up with Skarlet?"

"Because I want to know how it feels, Teddy. I want to feel life genetically created through the combination of your and my DNA growing inside me. I want to be a biological mother, having something I helped form live within me, needing me to survive until I finally let it into the light to see it for the first time..."

With that, I watched as Skarlet exited her body, my girlfriend's moans drowned out by her logic.

"Actually, you two, in-vitro fertilization would work. The sorcery that created Mileena didn't cause her to be sterile via magic. It caused her to be sterile because she had no eggs in her ovaries. Using IVF would allow for her to have children."

With that, I began to heavily consider the option of artificial insemination...

* * *

**ADRIANA'S POV**

Little did the couple know, but I was watching them. A small chunk of myself was underneath the bed as I listened in to everything the two of them said. I guessed that if Mileena was going to have kids, it meant I would need to leave.

Opening a portal back to the Netherrealm, I was about to step foot in it when Markus opened my door. "No, Adri!" He rushed forward, taking my hand as I allowed the portal to close. "Why are you trying to leave?"

I sighed. "I know you and Mileena are going to try and have a child between the two of you. When that happens, what use do I have? It would be better for me to go back home..."

Before I could pull away, Markus pulled me closer to him and kissed me hard on the lips. "You aren't going anywhere. I love you, Adri, and even if we have a change of plans, you and I are going to be there for our kids. We're... Mates, I believe you call it." I could only nod as his cluelessness began to show. "So, um... What does being mates mean?"

I decided to give as quick an explanation as I could. "When a demon or demoness finds someone they love, and they grow their trust enough to where they have sex with their other, then as soon as their virginity is lost, they are mates with one another. Imagine marriage, but closer and for eternity."

"I see..." He gave a quick glance at my abdomen and noticed that I was at full size. Though the children were fully grown, they needed time to absorb power from me. Only then would they be ready to be born.

"I should write a story about you... I'll call it 'Saibota.'"

With that, Skarlet burst in. "Actually, Markus, that name's already taken for a fanfic Aileen and some guy named Fusion are writing on the Mortal Kombat game. It's fanfic, I know, but still. Bad taste. I thought you'd know better."

Fan fiction? Mortal Kombat fan fiction? I had the worst feeling that this would involve plenty of yaoi, stupidity, and other stuff I despised in an additional story. God help the poor bastards who wrote anything about Markus and Liu Kang turning around and kissing and and fondling and... I think stopping here is a good idea.

"Speaking of Aileen, I want to talk to her. She's been more than enough of a help to the OIA, and since Sonya's still traumatized over the whole 'Special Forces got killed' thing, someone should reward her for her work with more than just college credit."

I looked at my mate. "What do you mean?"

"Well... You know that thing I made for Mileena that I had you test-fit?"

"What about it?"

"How about I adjust it, make it a bit more... properly sized, and I'll give it to her as her first OIA outfit."

"You do know she is barely legal, if that, right? I would hate for her to have to wear such a minimalistic outfit and be mocked as a whore or slut by her peers."

"You're right... I'll adjust it and check to See if she has any problems with it."

Since Markus was having trouble getting the point that it was wrong to even bring up something like this, I merely did the only thing Icould: I facepalmed. I could have sworn that the children inside of me did the same thing.

All of us needed to be careful. My mother would never kill myself, my mate, or my children. It would rend her too badly, remind her of her own past. Neither would my father do that... Especially considering who he was married to. Quan Chi, however, would take my children to be raised as his personal assassins. I was tired of being a puppet in the hands of others. It was time to live what I wanted to live, love who I wanted to love, and to do what I wanted to do. I couldn't help but smile as Markus slipped his way into bed with me, pulling me tight as he turned the lights out. Even pregnant, I could still have some fun...


End file.
